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06 August 2014

Spaghetti with Harissa-Spiced Shrimp and Asparagus

There are some purists who would lift an eyebrow over the use of harissa in a pasta dish. I got a few from my Italian friends over lunch and dinner parties I hosted when I served this for the pasta course. I just give them a polite amount (just to taste) and in the end, the whole pot is emptied for their requests of seconds, even thirds, with their kids joining in. Because even if harissa is a hot chili pepper paste, it is not as spicy as it seems. In fact, I think the combination of garlic, chili and herbs is perfectly orchestrated. They go well with other ingredients in cooking. In Italy, harissa is not so used in cooking because everyone still sticks to the ingredients they know. Leave it to the adventurous, like me.

The first time I got my bottle of harissa from a regular supermarket in Italy (hurray!), I embarked on a harissa cooking adventure. I did some tries with recipes, all of them with great results because harissa is already great to begin with anyway. One of those recipes was this pasta. It became mainstay after that first time I cooked it on my stove. I love this dish and so do the others who gave it a chance.

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All photos and text copyright: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina. If you re-post a recipe, please give credit and link to this site and PLEASE DO NOT RE-POST THE FULL RECIPE. If you are interested in using the photos, please contact me at: weng.dumlao@gmail.com